Dons hit the beach running

There was no weekend lie-in for the Dons squad this morning as they were up bright and early for their morning session on the beach.

Less than 24 hours after touching down in Dublin, the Dons players were put through their paces on the beach by Karl Robinson, Gary Waddock and fitness coach Damien Doyle.

Following a 7am wake-up call, the players gathered on the beach where they were separated into two groups.

One group joined Doyle and Robinson on a run across the sand while the others spent the first half of the session working with the ball. Waddock set various rules for the group – allowing them to pass the ball in small groups with one-touch, before adding a bounce and then introducing a larger distance between each player.

Waddock then kept the score in a football-tennis session which brought out the competitive nature amongst the players.

Speaking to mkdons.com, Robinson said: “It’s good to be back here; we are turning the intensity up on their professionalism.

“Three sessions a day is a tough ask for anybody. The players can get work done in the classroom, we’ll have tactical presentations and it’s good for the staff as we have the players at our disposal 24/7.

“It’s good to be back, it’s a good place to come and train and the setting is superb. If the national team can use this area as a base camp, then it’s good enough for MK Dons.”